The Godfathers of Drum & Bass and legends of modern music who are idolised worldwide. Industry heavyweights, fans and artists regardless of genre will readily respect and praise the ongoing influence of the two.
Since aligning professionally over 30 years ago, Fabio & Grooverider have been at the forefront of a genre which just seems to get stronger and more ‘global’ year on year, with household names such as Chase & Status, Wilkinson & Sub Focus smashing the top 40 to pieces. These are just a few names that received their initial exposure from the pair on their 14 Year Award winning show on BBC Radio 1.
The scene in general owes much to Fabio & Grooverider’s dedication, focus and longevity. They were part of the very few UK DJs to first play House music, and to then fuse and formulate something entirely new which would eventually evolve into Jungle/Drum and Bass. It is no understatement to say that the respective streams and offshoots of D&B that Fabio & Grooverider both represent from those early times now stretch so wide - liquid, jump up, technical, minimal and half-time styles to name a few – that it’s effectively the fabric of D&B itself.
Fabio & Grooverider were voted in the top 25 Greatest DJs of all time in a recent Mixmag poll, and December 2015 saw the pair win the prestigious Outstanding Contribution to music award at DJ Mag’s Best of British awards.
From their first venture into pirate radio on Phase 1 a simple template was established: fuel the energy of the streets, the illegal, massively-attended raves of the late 80s – legendary raves such as Fantasia, Biology and Sunrise – instantly back to the airwaves. The early days of ‘Jungle Techno’ gradually became the world’s first weekly Jungle night at Rage in London, where the boundaries were pushed into the red every week, so much so that the scene became notoriously hard, even intimidating.
As such, Fabio channelled the kinetic soul of the music to a new outlet, Speed, alongside comrade LTJ Bukem and, in conjunction with Groove Connection, eventually lead to Swerve in the late 90s as his ‘Liquid Funk’ vibe grabbed hold and took flight, and the vocal element successfully ignited with the unique musicality of D&B. This happened with Fabio’s firm encouragement. It resulted in major D&B chart hits such as ‘Midnite’ and ‘Shake Ur Body’, while tracks such as ‘Hide U’ by Kosheen set new standards within D&B, perhaps establishing style parameters which may have previously been seen as exclusive to House and Techno, and which are still in place today.
All the while, Grooverider remained active and driven: with the Prototype label, with work as a producer, as ‘Codename John’ and with his own Grace nights. On the release front, Fabio established his Creative Source label as an outlet for the burgeoning new forms of D&B emerging week after week, and also stepped up alongside Photek for ‘No Joke’ on Photek Productions. ‘The Prototype Years’ compilation was released by Grooverider, who followed it with his own artist album: ‘Mysteries of Funk’. Grooverider has released many 12s over time, including ‘The Warning’ as Codename John on Metalheadz. His remix of ‘Charade’ is simply a timeless D&B classic.
Both have been involved in compilations through Drum and Bass Arena and Fabric, and in 2010, Ministry of Sound released ‘Masterpiece’ by the pair: a triple album. In 2019 the pair released their 4 part critically acclaimed 30 Years of RAGE Album, which also saw the pair sell out 2 shows at their original home Heaven London in 2019 and 2022 with their Return to Rage brand.
Over the years, Fabio & Grooverider’s influence on new and upcoming artists is simply incalculable: key figures such as Goldie, Bailey, Matrix, John B, Calibre & many more will attest to the influence of the pair as they first entered D&B and established their own career in music, ongoing. And to achieve a play of one of your tunes by Fabio or Grooverider: It was simply a pinnacle, a sign that you’d arrived.
Radio was always a natural outlet for the pair and their vocal, extrovert styles: the perfect gift for the airwaves. So, via major UK stations Kiss FM and BBC Radio One a breathtaking era of new talent and styles emerged week after week on their show over the course of a decade and a half, all owing to the deep down ‘finger on the pulse’ dubplate-driven culture of the pair. Names such as Chase & Status, Pendulum, Calibre, Hazard, Bad Company – featuring DJ Fresh of course – Camo & Krooked, Nero, Alix Perez, High Contrast, Drumsound and Bassline Smith, Artificial Intelligence, Dillinja, Sigma, Sub Focus, Lynx, Dub Phizix and countless more all know that their key exposure is down to the pair’s organic love of D&B. Not schedulers, playlisters nor stats.
Fabio & Grooverider continued as Radio presenters on Ministry of Sound, and currently have a monthly show on Rinse FM / Kool FM.
So, up to the present? Their unique collaboration with the Outlook Orchestra has quickly become one of the most talked about live shows in Drum & Bass history , and has so far seen them sell out 3 dates at the iconic Royal Festival Hall as well as Headline sets at Boomtown and We Out here.
2022 also saw the pair make their acting debut on BBC 1’s King Gary!
Fabio & Grooverider don't simply DJ. And they don’t simply present radio. They are both respective auteurs and the collective embodiment of a pleasing paradox: they love the past and are impatient for the future, and this shines through.
Judging by the visible evidence of the pair live in 2023, it ain't gonna stop anytime soon.
One of the first ever female dance dj/producers Anne Savage has dedicated over 25 inimitable years to djing and the music scene, paving the way and inspiring many rising female stars of today. Her first residency was at the legendary Angels in Burnley circa 1994 where she cut her teeth as alongside Carl Cox, Joey Beltram and Paul Taylor.
Everyone now knows Anne for her Hard Dance legend status and as a pioneer of the scene, but over the past decade has written released and DJ’d some equally energy packed music in many different genres on labels worldwide including breakbeat, house, trance and techno. In December 2019 Anne released her latest artist album Full Throttle on Tidys Hard Drive label.
Under her Dumb Blonde alias she has produced house & techno remixes for acts such as the Holloways and The Rakes, and DnB tracks with J Majik & The Wickaman - DJing diverse events such as The Miami Winter Music Conference, Glastonbury and The Secret Garden Party.
Anne has DJd at almost every major festival and city worldwide and was voted in the Top 100 DJs Poll for 7 consecutive years. She had almost a decade of broadcasting for BBC, SKY, Radio 1, MTV and Ministry Of Sound Radio.
Anne graduated from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen with a First Class BA (Hons) Events Management Degree and through her interest and work in Health and Safety at events, Anne gained her National Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety in 2017. In 2018 Anne commenced her PhD scholarship at Sheffield Hallam University which is a study of Noise Safety in the Dance Music Industry. Anne is an ambassador for Plugem, a campaign by The British Tinnitus Association (BTA) which aims to raise awareness of the causes of tinnitus in young people through attending nightclubs and music venues. Anne is an avid supporter of hearing health campaigns - in January 2020 Anne joined the BTA to raise the issue at the House of Commons, and this year is focussing on her PHD work, presenting her research so far at various events around the UK.
